Perfect To Me
by melinarae
Summary: Emily meets Kaila Fisher, who's mother is a victim of a serial killer. Kaila is left injured and alone. Emily wants nothing more than to help this young girl, but it seems fate has other plans. / I'm awful at summaries :/
1. Chapter 1

**This is my second story here, but first one that's got chapters and not just a one shot. I have a bit of it typed out already, but I'm just going to start out posting the first chapter, and if people seem interested I will keep going, so please review! I'm still new at all this, so this isn't going to be that great. This chapter kind of has some crime-related aspects, which I found so difficult to write, so those parts may be worse than others. Comments, criticsim, and whatever else you fancy are much appreciated! :) This story at first kind of just goes back and forth between Emily's point of view, and an original character's point of view. Some team members are mentioned, but they will all be in the story more later on, I promise! :)**

**Oh and as a disclaimer, I clearly do not own Criminal Minds, the characters, the actors, etc. I only own the people's names I came up with. Anyway, on to the story!**

Kaila Fisher

_I hear my mother scream. I jump out of my bed, and run down the hall to her room. The door's locked. I can't get in. I knock on the door and yell, "Mom! Are you okay? What happened?"_

_I hear nothing. I press my ear closely to the door, and hear muffled sobs, and a whisper. I can tell it's a man. I bang on the door again._

_"Leave her alone!" I scream._

_Again, I hear nothing. Then, I hear the man come closer to the door and whisper, "It's okay, Kaila. You're next." I froze._

_"H-h-how... how do you- how do you know my name?" I managed to get out._

_"I know more than you think, darling. Now unless you want to hear me kill your mother, I suggest you go hide somewhere. I'll find you, where ever you go, so don't think I'm letting you go." I began sobbing._

_"No! No no no please. Please. You- you can't kill her! You don't understand please she didn't do anything! She's all I have don't kill her please!"_

_*BANG* A gunshot._

_I'm still sobbing, but by this time I am sitting on the floor in front of my mother's door. "Mom!" I scream. "Please be alive. Please." I whisper._

_Nothing._

_"I told you to go hide!" The voice said again._

_I can't leave. My legs won't move. I sit, and sob._

_A few moments later, the doorknob turns and the man emerges._

_He's in all black. He has on a mask. He kicks me, and tells me to stand up. I stand up, and kick him as hard as I could. He's down a moment, but his pain turns to rage all too quickly, and he slashes my arm with a knife. I scream in pain. I go into my mother's room. I see her lying on the bed, a pool of blood surrounding her. I feel sick to my stomach. I cry even harder, and try to tackle the man, but he stabs me in the stomach, a pain I've never felt in my life. I stand there holding my stomach, blood covering my hands, trying to scream, but no sound comes out. Then, I'm hit in the head with something, and it all goes black._

When I wake up, I'm screaming. I close my eyes, tears streaming down my face. I feel someone sit beside me and pull me into a hug. "Shh, shh. It's okay. You're safe. It's alright now." The voice whispers soothingly. I don't recognize the voice, but I know it's a woman. I push her away, and open my eyes. As soon as the woman stops hugging me, there's a nurse there, poking and prodding me making sure I'm alright. When the nurse was finished with that and asking me incessant questions, I turned to the woman who'd hugged me.

"Who are you? How did I get here? Where is he? Did you save my mom?" I ask, my questions flowing too fast for me to stop them.

The woman brushed some of my light brown hair out of my face, and replied. "My name is Emily, I work for the FBI. My team and I found you unconscious, and the man who was there about to kill you. We stopped him, and called an ambulance for you. You have a bad concussion, you were stabbed in the stomach, and your arm was cut really bad. The man is in jail now, for life. I wanted to stay here until you woke up to explain all this to you. You have been in and out of consciousness for two days. " She said, calmly, looking me right in the eyes. She had dark hair, almost black. Her eyes were just as dark, but she was really pale. I had no idea who she was, but she made me feel safe. Then I realized she didn't answer one of my questions.

"But what... what about my mom?" I said, looking away from her, tears forming in my eyes. I already knew the answer to this question.

Emily took a breath, let it out, and finally spoke. "When my team and I got to the scene, your mother was... she was already gone." She said sadly.

"Maybe your stupid team should have gotten there about five minutes earlier! Or maybe not at all! You should have let him kill me too!" I yelled. I didn't mean to sound so bitchy, but I was just completely and utterly alone, and scared out of my mind.

Emily hardly looked like what I said affected her. "We got there as fast as we could. We saved your life, I can't imagine what you're going through right now. But now, that man can't hurt anyone else."

"Oh, that's great. You just let him hurt me and my mom and act like you saved the universe." I said, again acting like a bitch. This time, I apologized.

''I'm sorry." I said quickly. "You're the only one who seems to care about me right now. I shouldn't say that stuff to you it's just..." I began sobbing again. I tried to sit up, but as I tried, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach, and my head began to pound. "Oh, my God." I said closing my eyes, trying to relax, trying to stop the pain, still crying.

"What? What is it?" Emily asked, alarmed, getting off the bed. "I didn't hurt you did I?"

"No," I replied. "My stomach and head-Oh, my God does this hospital not give pain killers!" I half yelled. The pain was so intense.

Emily reached over and pushed a button. A few seconds later, the pain reduced.

"Thanks." I said. "What did you just do?"

Emily showed me the button, right next to my bed. "This distributes a painkiller through your IV when you need it. They haven't given you anything in awhile, they wanted to wait until you were awake to see your pain level."

"Well on a scale of 1-10 it was about a 15," I looked at her. "How long have you been here?" I asked.

"Since you were admitted," she said.

"When was that?"

"Tuesday morning, about 3am." She replied.

"And what day is it now?" I asked. I felt so out of it.

"It's Friday, about 11am." She answered.

"Oh." I said, surprised. "You said I was in and out of consciousness, right?"

"Yes, but you only woke up for a few seconds each time. You never said a word, you just woke up, looked around, and then you were out again. He hit your head really hard, and you lost a lot of blood. But I'm glad to see you're awake now." She told me.

"I didn't know FBI agents did stuff like this. I thought that was like child services or something."

"Well, technically, I'm not supposed to. But, rules are meant to be broken." She smiled at me. I would have smiled back, had I not remembered what got me where I was in the first place.

"I'm alone now." I said, sadly.

"I've been talking with a social worker. She's finding somewhere for you to go. You won't be alone."

"I have nowhere to go. My father walked out of my life when I was eight, never talked to me again, turned his entire family against my mother and me, and then committed suicide two years ago because he felt like he was a bad father. No shit, dad. So that side of the family is out. My mother is an only child. Her parents were older when they had her, and they died when my mom was twenty-two. And now- and now.. and-" I began crying again. I hated crying in front of people.

Emily sat back down on my bed, and hugged me again, just like she had after I woke up screaming. "And now my mother is dead. It's always been me and her, and now she's gone. And now I'm gonna have to go into foster care or something stupid. No one would adopt me. People adopt babies and cute little three year olds. Not traumatized fifteen year olds! No one will want me." I said, in between sobs.

"Hey, hey. Shh. We'll find somewhere nice. I promise." Emily said.

"I am not going into foster care, I am not going to some group home. I will rip this IV out of my arm, walk out that door, and go die on the street." I said seriously. Okay... maybe that was a bit dramatic, but I had to get the point across somehow.

Emily bit her lip. "Why don't you try and get some more sleep? That medicine is going to kick in any minute now, and I don't want to keep you up." She eased me back onto the pillow, and rubbed my not-cut arm.

"Wait," I said. "Can I ask you something? Well a few things, really."

"Of course you can." Emily smiled back at me.

"Did I know him? Did you talk to him? Why did he do it?" I asked all at once.

"Are you sure you want to talk about him right now?" Emily questioned, as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Yes. I need to know." I said, seriously.

"Alright," Emily said. "His name is Earl Strasser. He was your trash man, who came and got your trash every week. He's been killing single mothers and their children for three years now, but we finally caught him. He would watch in every neighborhood he picked up at, taking note of all single mothers. He'd learn their routines, he'd stalk them. Then, he'd kill them. Growing up, he lived with his mother. He has never met his father to this day, and his mother was bi-polar. Earl practically raised himself, but apparently, he decided all single mothers were as bad as his, so he killed so many innocent people..." Emily trailed off. That was when I realized I was shaking like a leaf. I didn't know what to think of what Emily just told me. I was so angry, so upset, so confused.

"He killed MY mom, because HIS childhood sucked?" I screamed. Emily gently put one hand on each of my shoulders.

"Shh, shh. I know. There's no excuse for what he did. I'm so sorry this happened to you, honey. But you have to calm down. Okay? He's paying for it now. You seem strong, I know you will pull through this in time." She encouraged me, and it worked. I stopped shaking.

"But, you really need to get some rest now, I don't want you overdoing it." She fussed over me, just like a mom. I wondered if she had any kids, but instead, I said, "Don't leave."

"I'll be here when you wake up again." She promised. I nodded, suddenly feeling the effects of the medicine, closed my eyes, and fell asleep.

**Ehhh, there you have it. The next chapter is from Emily's point of view. If I can get a couple of people who want to read it, then I'll post it! So be sure to review! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Well it's been a few days with no update, I was waiting for a review, but then realized no one has probably reviewed because nothing really happens in Chapter 1 :P This, however, sort of gets the plot rolling. I have a lot of this story already typed out, and another idea in the works... 0.o what can I say, I think I've found a new obsession. :P Anyway, don't forget to review! Even to say that this sucks, just leave a review ;) However even if there aren't any reviews, I will probably put up what all I have written so far tomorrow, seeing as I really don't have a life ;) **

**And also, special thanks to the individual who added this story to their alerts list! :) **

**Anyway, I'll shut up now. I present to you; Chapter 2 of my first chapter-length story: Perfect To Me (BTW this chapter is Emily's point of view!)**

**Uhm, sorry to interrupt again. BUT I almost forgot to mention two things: one, this story does contain some language, nothing too bad as of right now, and two, I do not own Criminal Minds, the actors, or the characters. :) NOW, onto the update!  
**

Emily Prentiss

I walked out of Kaila Fisher's hospital room, trying not to cry. I've seen so many things since I've worked with the BAU. I've dealt with children who lost their parents who had to go into foster care. I've pretty much seen it all. Why was Kaila's story getting to me? I know how to compartmentalize. Why am I almost in tears?

I walked outside, and tried to call the social worker I had been discussing Kaila's future with, Maggie Johnston.

My phone, however, was dead. There was one to use, I was told, in the hospital waiting room, so that is where I ventured to.

I found the phone, then found the card I had with Maggie's number on it, then dialed it. She answered on the third ring. "Maggie Johnston." she said.

"Hi, this is Agent Emily Prentiss. We spoke earlier regarding a Kaila Fisher, she's-"

"Ah, the girl who's mother was murdered? Yes, I remember. Poor girl." Maggie said. "But I have good news! I found a foster family, they seem great. They've started an organization for traumatized children. They'll know how to work with her."

"Oh..." I said, hoping the disappointment wasn't evident. "Oh, that's really great. They'll be really good for her." I said, trying to sound happy.

"You want to take her, don't you?" Maggie asked.

"Is it that obvious?"

"I deal with this kind of thing daily. I always know. I haven't notified the family yet, so you could potentially take her."

"Potentially?" I question.

"Well with your job... you're gone a lot. Something might happen to you. She'd have to stay with someone when you went on a case. I don't know if your line of work is appropriate for children." Maggie replied.

"Look, she has nobody. I've talked to her, she's not gonna go with a foster family. She's not going to a group home. When she turns sixteen, technically, the state can turn her out on her own. Something is guaranteed to happen to her if she's out on her own at sixteen! At least with me, I know she will be safe!" I argued.

Maggie was silent for a moment. "You make a good point..." she finally said.

"I'll make it work." I practically begged. "I can get time off. I can stay at the station when we go on a case to prevent something happening to me. I can get a desk job-"

"Emily, that won't be necessary," She said, cutting me off. "I will allow Kaila to go with you, but I need proof she is taken care of properly. Can you do that?"

I nodded my head vigorously, as if Maggie could see me. "Yes, of course!' I said.

"Alright... are you still at the hospital?"

"Yes." I replied.

"Okay, I will be there later to discuss the details."

"Thank you!" I said, smiling big.

I hung up the phone, and directed myself towards Kaila's room. I honestly had no idea how to make this work out right, but I swore to myself as I walked into her room, and saw her lying there sleeping, that I would find a way. Whatever it took. I sat down in the chair by her bed. The chair that had become my home as of early Tuesday morning. I'd been to my hotel only a few times, to shower, change clothes, and take short naps. I wasn't going to leave Kaila alone for long. The rest of the team had already gone back to their homes. But, I was still in rural North Carolina, where this case took place. They knew I was planning on staying, but not this long. Then I remembered my phone, which hadn't been charged in almost 24 hours. I knew I would have ridiculous amounts of missed calls. I thought about getting up and going back to the hotel really fast to get my charger; but instead, I rested my elbow on the arm rest of the chair, and rested my head in my hand. Before I knew it, I'd fallen asleep there.  
-

"No! No! Mom!" Kaila yelled.

I woke with a start, and looked over at Kaila. She jumped, and then began screaming. I rushed to her side, sitting on the bed and pulling her into a hug like I had before.

"Shh, its Emily. It was a dream. You're safe. No ones going to hurt you." I said softly, as Kaila latched on to me, and cried on my shirt.

"I'm so sorry." She said suddenly, letting go of me and pulling away.

She wiped her eyes, and I told her, "Honey its okay. Nightmares are common with trauma victims."

"You don't think I'm weird? I hardly know you and I just hugged you like you were my...moth- uh. Someone I know."

"Its not weird. And hey, I'm the one who's been sitting here for 2 days! You must think I'm weird." I said, jokingly.

For the first time, Kaila smiled. "You're not weird. Thank you, though. I don't know what I'd have done without you." I smiled.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. I broke the silence by saying, "I talked to that social worker again."

Kaila didn't look too happy. If possible, she looked even more heartbroken than she had before. Her light brown hair was tangled and matted to her head, and her hazel eyes almost looked gray, like a rain cloud. "Oh," was all she said.

"I have good news though. Someone wants to adopt you." I smiled.

Kaila's eyes widened, and she let out a small gasp. "What? Are you serious? Who?" She asked. "Why would anybody want me? I've only been awake for like an hour. I was just admitted Tuesday. No one knows about this yet, right?" She rambled.

"Well, if it's alright with you... I'd like to adopt you. It'll be awhile before it becomes official, I'll have to foster you first and prove I can provide a good environment for you."

Kaila didn't say much of anything, she just looked at me, in utter disbelief.

"You...you want to adopt me?"

"I'd like to. I just don't want to see you go somewhere you'll be unhappy. I want you to be safe." I replied.

"Emily, you really don't have to do that. You've already done enough, by being here with me. I'm sorry I got so upset about being alone and making a big deal about foster care. I didn't mean to make you feel like you had to take me." She said, looking down at her hands.

"No, no! I really do want to. I promise. I want you to go somewhere I know you'll be safe." I said again.

"Are you sure?" Kaila asked, looking at me again, her eyes searching for reassurance.

"I am positive! The social worker said I could take you."

"Well, if you're sure. I really appreciate all you've done, Emily. If you hadn't been here both times I woke up I don't know what I would have done..." She took a deep breath, before continuing. "They're so real feeling. Like... like I can't tell if I'm dreaming or not. I just replay that same thing over and over, and every time he hits me in the head I wake up." She teared up, and began to nervously finger the hospital blanket she was covered up with.

"When will that stop?" She choked out.

"Look at me, Kaila." I told her.

She did, and I put my arm, very gently, around her shoulders. "I know how scary nightmares can be. I've had my fair share of them. I'm not going to lie to you, it's going to take some time to get them to go away completely, and even if you stop having them nightly, they'll still show up, when you least expect it. Sometimes, the nightmare will change, and be scarier, or maybe less scary. But, I swear to you, I will help you. I'll be there every time you wake up screaming. I know how much that can help, just having someone there telling you it's okay." I reassured her.

"You must have nightmares a lot, with all you see." Kaila stated.

"I do, but not as frequent as you may think." In fact, my nightmares started way before I was in the BAU. I was only fifteen. After my abortion, I woke up every night, heart rate sky rocketed, completely drenched in sweat, and out of breath. No one was there to tell me I would be okay. No one was there to hug me and comfort me. My dear friend Matthew had been a help, but he'd never stayed the night with me. I never told anyone about my nightmares, I did the only thing I knew how to do, and that was to wear a mask and act like I was fine. I didn't know what it felt like, to have people around you to get you through it, to make sure that they were there for you every time you needed someone; but I knew it had to be better than trying to do it alone. I still have nightmares, not just about what happened in Italy all those years ago; but also some of the things I have seen and endured during my time with the BAU. I figured Kaila didn't need to know all this information right now, though.

"Thank you," Kaila said. "For being so nice." She smiled; it was a very small smile, but it counted.

"Don't mention it," I replied.

About an hour later, Maggie came into the room. Kaila and I were enduring in an intense battle of Uno.

"Oh, hi Maggie," I greeted her, when I saw her enter the room.

"Agent Prentiss," She replied.

"Are you the social worker Emily's been talking to?" Kaila questioned.

"Yes, I am." Maggie replied. I was becoming increasingly concerned. Why was she being so serious?

"I was going to come later, but I have received some news I thought you both need to hear..."

"What?" I asked, alarmed.

"Yeah what is it?" Kaila chimed in.

"Kaila, I've spoken with your friend Amelia's parents."

"Who's Amelia?" I asked Kaila.

"My best friend," Kaila said, sounding disappointed.

"Her parents want to take you in, and I told them they could. They'll pick you up when you are discharged." Maggie stated.

"WHAT?" Kaila and I yelled simultaneously.

"You told me I could take her! She agreed to come with me!" I said, angered at the fact Maggie would do something like this.

"I don't wanna go with them. I CAN'T go with them!" Kaila threw her hand of cards down, and pushed the small tray we were using as a table off the bed, causing a loud crashing noise.

I put my arms around Kaila, trying to console her before she hurt herself even more.

"Shh. Calm down, you might hurt yourself even more than you already are. Let me talk to Maggie outside, you just calm back down. I'll fix this." I assured her.

Kaila looked at me with tear-filled eyes.

"Do you promise me I won't have to go?"

"I promise." I said, standing up and walking out into the hall, asking Maggie to follow me.

"What the hell are you thinking?" I asked her, much louder than I had intended.

"Amelia's father heard about this case, and what happened to Kaila. He got in touch with me. Amelia and Kaila have been friends since pre-school. Eric Lambert, Amelia's father, says he considers Kaila a member of their family, and he isn't going to allow Kaila to go anywhere but with them."

"Kaila doesn't want to stay here! You saw her reaction! This place, this town, this whole damn state is going to bring nothing but bad memories for her! She's traumatized enough as it is. She doesn't need to wake up every morning and remember she's just down the street where some bastard killed her mother! What kind of social worker are you? You're supposed to do what is best for her well-being!" I shouted.

"Agent Prentiss, I am doing my job. The Lamberts have a house, two parents, and someone Kaila's age. You live in an apartment in the city, with a job that requires you to go God knows where at any given moment for God knows how long. You risk your life nearly every day. Kaila doesn't need to be around you, because your life revolves around the bastards who shoot innocent girl's mothers! She'll look at you, and hate you, because you didn't get to her house just a few moments earlier." Maggie spit back. Now, I was beyond pissed.

"I told you I could do something about my job! My team got to the scene as fast as we could. We saved Kaila's life and tried to save her mother, too! She's going to be unhappy at Amelia's house. Let her come with me. If she doesn't like it, I'll take her to Amelia's myself." I tried to compromise.

"No, Agent Prentiss. My decision is final. Eric and Shanna Lambert will have custody of Kaila. I am sorry." She turned and walked down the hallway to the elevator. I cursed under my breath, biting my lip.

As I stood there, contemplating what to do, Kaila's main nurse, Janet, approached me.

"Agent Prentiss, you have a call in the waiting room. It seems important." She told me.

"Did they say who they were?" I asked.

"Aaron Hotchner." Janet replied. Damn, I thought. I'm gonna be in trouble. I told Hotch I would alert the members of the team frequently, but I hadn't. I walked with Janet to the waiting room, and picked up the phone.

"Hotch?" I asked.

"Prentiss where the hell have you been?" My boss, Aaron Hotchner, yelled into the phone.

"North Carolina, at the hospital with Kaila Fisher still. My phone is dead. I haven't had time to charge it, and in all honesty I just forgot to call anyone. I'm sorry, Hotch." I said.

"We agreed you would be home by now." Hotch said, his voice steady and somewhat intimidating.

"I am trying to adopt Kaila." I said.

"What have I told you about being objective?" Hotch replied.

"What have I told you about being human?" I shot back.

"We need you back here, now." Hotch told me.

"Do we have a case?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, we do. However I have been trying to contact you since this morning to see if you were okay, we all thought you were dead. That is, until we called the hospital. Anyway, about the case: In Atlanta, there have been double homicides reported twice a week for two weeks now. I don't know why they're just now calling us in. The victims, as far as we know, do not know each other when they are killed. Each pairing has been a man with dark hair, and a woman with blonde hair. The victims have been found within walking distance from each other, with the exact same injury marks, and exact same cause of death. We're flying out in an hour. You can meet us there, it's not too far of a drive from you."

"I need to take some personal time, Hotch." I told him.

"Prentiss, you have a job to do." Hotch reminded me.

"I need to take some personal time," I repeated. "You all will be fine without me on this case. I'll double up my paperwork load when I come back, or something. Just give me a week." I half-begged.

Hotch took a moment to say anything. "If Strauss finds out what you are doing, and that I let you take time off to do it, it could put both of our jobs in jeopardy. Are you willing to take that risk?" He asked me.

"Screw Strauss! If she finds out what I'm doing, you had no idea, and I lied to you and said I had the flu."

"That would be lying."

"Telling the truth puts both our jobs in jeopardy. Are you willing to take that risk?" I questioned.

"Damn you, Prentiss." He sighed in defeat. "One week. That is it. Do you understand?" His voice serious, more than the usual.

"Yes, sir. I understand. Thank you... thank you so much." I told him sincerely.

"Don't mention it. We'll miss you out on the field."

"I'll miss you all too. Please be careful, and have someone call me every so often so I know you're all alive."

"Will do." He said, hanging up. That could have went worse. I thought to myself. That's one thing I love most about our team; we're like a family. We get annoyed with each other, we get mad at each other, but no matter what, we've got each others backs.

Now, all I had to do was break the news to Kaila I could not keep my promise... at least, not right now. But I had a plan.

**There you have it :) Don't forget to write some reviews, people! :)**

**-Melina(:  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Back again, bearing you more to the story! I debated all day on posting all that I have so far, or just one chapter. I've decided to do one a day, with what I have, then just go from there I suppose. It made my morning to wake up to a review, and some story alerts! I'm a sap like that ;) haha. But seriously, keep 'em coming! **

**And also, I've been thinking about when this story should be taking place, and I've decided it can be present-day, but we'll say CBS DIDN'T eff everything up by sending JJ away, bringing in the new girl, and having the entire fan-base fear for Prentiss' life :P Because I feel weird making it be in the past, when this obviously hasn't happened in the show, and I kinda want this to be realistic. I don't know, I'm probably making about zero sense haha. So, the rambling shall cease, and an update shall ensue! Enjoy :)  
**

Kaila Fisher

I sat in my hospital bed, scared out of my mind waiting for Emily to come back. I didn't want to live with Amelia and her parents. Yes, Amelia's my best friend and she's been there for me my entire life, but the truth is, her parents, especially her father, are mean. They've hit Amelia on more than one occasion, among other things I don't like to think about. I couldn't tell anyone that without getting Amelia taken away from her home; and when we were eight, I was sworn to secrecy to never tell a soul about her parents. I couldn't break my promise, but, I really, really, truly did not want to go live with them.

Emily walked back into my room about twenty minutes later. I didn't say anything. I wanted to ask what happened, but the look on Emily's face gave away the answer.

"You promised me! You told me I could go with you!" I yelled.

"Honey, I tried everything! Maggie refuses. I'm not giving up, you will not live anywhere you do not want to, do you hear me?" Emily said seriously.

"You don't understand! I can't live with them. I can't." I put my face in my hands and closed my eyes.

I felt Emily sit on my bed next to me.

"I know it's going to be hard, staying here after all that has happened. That's why I am going to do anything and everything it takes to make sure you come with me when you leave here." She said, softly.

"What if you can't, Emily? What if I have to go live with them? I can't handle that right now. I just- I can't! And no one understands and no one ever will understand and it's not fair! I just want my mom." I said to my hands, as I still hadn't looked up to face Emily.

"I know you do. But can I ask you something?"

"What?" I lifted my head up, and looked at her. My heart started racing, I knew what she was going to ask me next.

"Why, if Amelia is your best friend, don't you want to live with her? Are you guys in some kind of fight?"

I said nothing, I couldn't even if I had known what to say. I was shaking, I was sure my face was pale, and my heart was beating at an uncontrollable rate. I started breathing really fast. I tried to hide it from Emily, but she noticed.

"Kaila? Honey, it's okay! You don't have to tell me, it's alright. Calm down." She soothed.

After a few minutes, my breathing slowed, my heart rate went down, and I could speak.

"I really can't talk about it." I said, wishing I could make myself tell Emily. Because if I could, I'd be able to live with her. But, then, I'd be breaking my promise to my best friend, and that would hurt worse than whatever I might face at Amelia's.

"I'm not going to make you." Emily replied, pulling me into a hug. "But if you ever want to tell me, I promise I'll be here to listen."

"Thank you," I said, smiling at her. She asked me if I would be okay if she left for awhile, to go to her hotel room and take a nap. I told her to go ahead, I'd be fine. She gave me her phone number and said to call if I needed her. She said her phone was dead, but she would charge it at her hotel, so if she didn't answer if I called her soon, to call again later. She said she'd be back soon, and left.

I'd only known Emily since I'd woken up a few hours ago, and in that time, I felt like I was closer to her than anyone else. She stayed with me even though she didn't have to, she hugged me and held onto me and told me it would be alright when I got upset and scared. She truly cared about me and wanted to give me a home. I have always believed people were brought into other people's lives for a reason. Emily and I were so attached to each other, so I knew I'd be walking out of this hospital with her. Why else would we have gotten so close in such a short time, right?

An hour after Emily left, I was sitting up in my bed, trying to find something to watch on TV, but failing miserably. There was absolutely nothing on. I sighed, turned the TV off, laid down, and closed my eyes. Then, I heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," I said, not bothering to open my eyes, assuming it was just a nurse.

"Hey," A familiar voice said. My eyes shot open.

"Amelia?"

"Yeah, hi! My parents told me what happened and I wanted to come see you, they'll be in here in a minute. They're talking to some social worker. Dad said we're going to adopt you! Isn't that great? We'll be sisters!" Amelia said excitedly.

"Oh yeah... that's really nice. But, you guys don't have to do that. I'm fine. I promise." I told her.

"Don't you want to live with me?" Amelia asked me, her blue eyes looking sadder than the usual. "You can't move somewhere else! I can't deal with them alone, Kaila. You know how my parents can get, especially Dad."

"I don't want you to do that by yourself... it's just... Amelia, my mom was murdered, in my house, just down the road from you. I heard her scream, I heard him shoot her, I saw her lying there in her own blood. This place is scary to me now, I don't feel safe, and I never will feel safe here again. Can't you understand that?" I asked, too scared to start crying again, too afraid I might lose my best friend- my only friend. But also afraid of living with her at the same time.

"But they got that guy! He won't come back! Dad says he'll keep you safe. Nothing's going to happen. It'll be fun! Please, Kaila?" She asked me. I couldn't refuse her. I never had many friends, and she was the only one who'd ever stuck around, no matter what. My mother never had a lot of money, so I never had the newest clothes, or the newest things that came out. Kids at school always gave me a hard time, and no one ever wanted to be my friend. No one but Amelia, that is.

"I don't know, Amelia." I said, honestly. "I probably don't even get a say in where I go anyways, and that social worker lady says I'll be living with you." I said.

"Well once you move in, you'll see. It's not so bad." Amelia encouraged. I faked a smile, and she bought it.

"Thanks for coming to see me," I said. "Are your parents still coming? I'm getting kind of tired..." I lied. I wasn't tired at all, I just wanted to be alone.

"They're coming, don't go to sleep til they come in! They want to see you."

"I won't." I told her.

As if on cue, Eric and Shanna walked in the room. "Hey Kaila, honey!" Shanna greeted.

"Hi," I said, still feigning tiredness.

"You don't look so good." Eric told me.

"I don't feel so good, either." I replied.

"Amelia, Shanna," Eric said, "Why don't the two of you go on out to the car. I want to discuss what's going to happen with Kaila in private." He said. I was scared now. I was terrified to be near Eric as it was, because you never knew when he was going to snap, what was going to set him off. The thought of being in a room with him alone scared me to death.

"Bye Kaila!" Amelia said, coming over to my bed and giving me a hug.

"Bye," I told her.

"Goodbye sweetheart, we'll see you soon!" Shanna told me, stumbling to give me an awkward one-armed embrace. She smelled like alcohol. She probably wouldn't even remember this hospital visit, she spent the better part of her days drunk,or hung over, and the other portion of her days she slept away.

The two of them left, and when Eric was certain they were out of ear shot, he leaned in really close to my bed, his bright green eyes staring me down.

"I heard you don't wanna live with me, huh?" He asked, seeming angry.

"W-what? No, that's not true." I lied.

"Maggie said so, she said when she told you, you near had a tantrum!" His accent deep, he sounding like a definite hick.

"I didn't." I lied, again. That was becoming a trend for me today.

"Why don't you wanna live with me, little lady? Is it because of what I do to Amelia?" He asked. I froze, I was too shocked to say a word.

"Did you think I wasn't going to include you in that, too? I have some mighty fine things planned for the two of us," he said, kissing my forehead. I felt sick.

"But you'd better not tell anyone, or I'll kill Amelia." He threatened. Besides my promise to Amelia when we were young, her father's threats to her life were the only things keeping me from telling. I'd seen Eric get mad, and I knew if he was willing and mad enough, he'd kill someone, even if t was his own daughter. I acted like I didn't hear him.

"I need to go to sleep, My medicine is kicking in. Bye." I told him. He ruffled my hair, told me he would see me soon, winked, and left. Now I really felt sick.

I wanted to cry, but I didn't. I reached for the phone, and the card with Emily's number on it. I dialed her number, taking deep breaths, trying to make the sick feeling in my stomach go away. Emily's phone went straight to voice mail. I hung up without leaving a message. Surely she would be back soon. I turned the TV back on, putting it on some show that I wasn't paying attention to. I was completely alone this time. No one was with me telling me I would be okay, no one hugged me. No one was there to make me feel safe. It's the worst feeling in the world.

**That's all, til tomorrow! **

**-Melina(:  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**I just want to take the time to thank people for reviewing/adding this story to their alerts! haha (: I don't really have much of anything else to say, except thanks for reading! And also, I forgot to mention last time that I DO NOT own CM blah blah blah :P :) Here you go, update for the day! **

**-Melina(:  
**

Emily Prentiss

My eyes opened, slowly. I rolled over, and looked at the clock on the night stand beside me. _10:22_ it read. That couldn't be right! I reached for my now charged phone, turned it on, and checked the time. _10:22. Oh my God._ I thought. How had I slept that long? I left Kaila just after 6pm. I planned on taking a shower, taking a quick nap, and being back before 8, and now it was almost 10:30! I cursed myself for not setting an alarm. I then noticed I had two missed calls, one from Spencer Reid, and one from Kaila. I had only one voice mail though. I checked it.

"Hey Prentiss, uh, its Reid," a very familiar voice said. "I'm just calling to notify you that we're all still alive, I'm not certain what that is supposed to mean for you, but that's what Hotch told me to say. He told us also, what you're doing. Uh, good luck with the adoption thing...anyway I'm not really good with this whole voice mail thing. I never know what to say. Hey, did you know that 30% of voice mails go unheard for three days or longer? And more than 20% of people with messages don't bother checking them? So you may not even get I guess there's a chance you might. But with today's society, people are more apt to respond to a text message. Maybe I should have texted you did you know-" The message cut off. I smiled at how typical Reid all the statistics and rambling was. Then I remembered Kaila, and panicked. I told her to call if she needed me, she called, and I wasn't there. I jumped out of bed and hurriedly checked my appearance in the mirror, as I called the hospital and got connected to Kaila's room.

"Hello?" Kaila answered. She sounded weak and tired, only adding to my increasing guilt level.

"Hey, Kaila. I'm so sorry! I meant to take a little nap and I accidentally slept for hours! Are you okay? What happened?"

"Its okay," she whispered. "Can you come back now?"

"I'm on my way, just hold on. Okay?"

"Thank you," she said.

"See you soon!" I told her, hanging up my phone, grabbing a few things to bring back with me, and walking down to the Suburban. I debated on calling Reid back or not, but then decided that could wait until I made sure Kaila was alright.

I got to the hospital in half the time it should have taken me. I ran to the door, and up to Kaila's room number, 310. I softly knocked on the door. "Its Emily," I told her.

"Come in." I heard. I opened the door and went in. Kaila was just sitting on her bed with her eyes closed. I rushed to her side, and slowly sat down on her bed.

"What happened? Did you have another nightmare?" I asked her. She opened her eyes to look at me.

"Yes," she said. "That's what happened. I shouldn't have called you though. I'm fine. I promise." She told me.

"You don't look like you've slept much." I told her.

"I'm fine. I did sleep. I'm not tired at all." Something was definitely up with her, but I knew pressuring her to tell me wouldn't do any good. When she was ready to tell me, she would.

"Well, okay then." I said, standing up and pulling up a chair beside her bed. We sat in silence for a few moments, Kaila was just staring at the wall. Then, I remembered Reid's phone call, and decided to go call him back.

"Hey, one of my team members called me earlier, and I haven't got around to calling him back. Will you be alright if I go call him back real quick? I will be back before you know it!" I promised.

"That's fine," Kaila said flatly.

I then realized, since Kaila had been admitted here, neither one of us had eaten anything substantial. She'd been connected to her IV, and since then she hadn't eaten anything they'd brought her. I'd eaten a little, but my focus hadn't really been on nutrition the past few days. "Are you hungry?" I asked her. I was no doctor, but I did know she hadn't even tried to eat anything, but that she needed to.

"Not really," she said, still looking at the wall, not directly at me.

"It's been a long time since either of us have eaten, I've noticed you won't eat the food they give you here. What do you like? I'll go get something."

"Just get whatever." was her response. I was slightly taken aback, since she hadn't shown this kind of closed off behavior since right after she woke up this morning.

"Um, okay. I'll be fast, there's a few food places right by here. If you decide on anything specifically, just give me a call. I swear this time I will answer." I smiled.

"Alright Emily."

I stood up, gently patted Kaila's shoulder, and walked out of the hospital. It was so obvious something was going on with Kaila that she was not telling me. It was driving me crazy. I hoped she wasn't upset with me for leaving her for so long, but on the phone she sounded understanding. But when I got back, she hardly looked at me. I was so confused, but determined to figure out what happened.

Once I was to the SUV, I called Reid's number.

"Reid," he answered.

"Hey, it's me." I said. "I got your message. I've been asleep and dealing with Kaila. I'm going to get us some food now though. Everything okay over there still?"

"Uh, yeah, safety wise at least. We haven't gotten any new leads at all. In fact we barely have anything on this UnSub. It's such a difficult case. Even Garcia is having trouble connecting the dots! She and I are at the station. Hotch, Rossi and Morgan are visiting crime scenes and families. JJ is dealing with press. The media is going crazy over this." He told me, sounding a bit frustrated.

"You'll figure it out, something will come up to help you catch this guy." I reassured him.

"Well I sure hope so, he killed another pair of victims since we've been here."

"Same M.O.?" I asked.

"Yep, but he hasn't tried to contact us at all or anything. I don't know if he knows we're on this case yet or not."

"Well like I said, something will come up. I promise." I told him.

"Hopefully sooner rather than later."

"Well, you or someone update me as soon as anything happens, okay?"

"Will do." He promised.

"Alright. Bye Reid," I hung up. I debated calling Kaila to see if she'd decided on what she wanted to eat, but I didn't want to upset her more.

I found the closest fast food place. I debated a long time on what to get Kaila, because I had no idea what she liked. I decided on chicken nuggets, and hoped she'd be okay with that. I hurriedly drove back to the hospital, but as soon as I got into the parking lot, my phone rang.

"Prentiss," I answered.

"It's Maggie." The voice replied.

I rolled my eyes. "Can I help you?" I asked her.

"I'm just calling to tell you that your presence won't be necessary tomorrow at the hospital. Eric and Shanna will be taking Kaila upon her release, which will not be tomorrow, as far as I know. However, the family has agreed to stay with her from tomorrow until they take her. So there's no reason to stay."

"I will be with Kaila until she walks out of that hospital, or until she personally tells me to leave. Got it?" I said.

"Agent Prentiss, maybe I didn't make myself clear. I do not want to see you at the hospital tomorrow. You'll just be in the way." I really didn't like this woman.

"Are you aware that every time Kaila falls asleep, she wakes up screaming due to nightmares? I'm the only one who's been there. I have to tell Eric and Shanna what to do! She's traumatized, and needs special care."

"Last time I checked, being the social worker was my job."

"Well you were doing a poor job, so I took over." I spat back.

"Do. Not. Show. Up. Tomorrow." she said sternly.

I hung up on her, deciding for future reference to check my caller ID and not answer for Maggie again. I made my way from the SUV back up to Kaila's room. When I got there, I knocked on the door. No answer.

"Its Emily," I said. No answer.

I opened the door, and Kaila was gone. I immediately went into 'work' mode. I began taking in my surroundings, noticing every detail, trying to remember what the room looked like before I left, just like I did when entering a crime scene on a case. Although, I prayed this was not a crime scene.


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Criminal Minds, the characters, the actors, etc (: **

**& also again thanks to all the wonderful people out there who've been reading!  
**

Kaila Fisher

After Eric left, I was completely alone. I just sat there, thinking about what happened. I wanted to cry, but I refused. I didn't want to risk someone coming in and seeing me. I'd called Emily, but she didn't answer. I figured she was sleeping. I decided I was not going to tell her Amelia and her family came. I didn't want to risk myself telling her what happened, and then somehow that leading to what Eric does to Amelia... what he would do to me. I know Amelia was miserable, but deep down, she still loved her parents. She told me several times that even though her father is abusive, he's still her daddy, and nothing would ever change that. Even though her mother was an alcoholic, and hardly there, she was still Amelia's mom. And besides, they hadn't always been this way. When Amelia and I were six, Amelia's younger brother died. He drowned in their pool. Her brother's name was Christian, and he was four when he died. I closed my eyes, I could still remember it like it was yesterday...

_I was over at Amelia's house, because my mom had to work a double shift that night. Amelia, Christian, and I were outside. Amelia and I were in her tree house. We wouldn't let Christian come up and play, too._

_"Mia! I wanna play too!" Christian yelled up to us._

_"No Christian! You're too young to play with us, and plus you are a boy! This is the girl's club!" Amelia yelled back._

_"Mommy says this is OUR tree house, Mia! You have to share with me!"_

_"No I don't! Now go away, Kaila and I are in the middle of a game!"_

_"Why can't you let me play too?" Christian whined. "I'm gonna go tell on you!"_

_"No no no! Fine, you can play. Kaila is my sister, and she has a baby. I watch it while she goes to work. She is a nurse like her mommy. You can be um..." Amelia trailed off in thought._

_"You can be the daddy Christian!" I said, trying to make him feel included. "My daddy likes to go fishing, so why don't you pretend to go fish and me and Amelia will call you when we need you home, kay? Only sometimes when we call my daddy he doesn't answer, but Mommy says he is just busy. So you don't have to always come when we call you."_

_"Okay!" Christian said, smiling as he ran off. That was the last time anyone talked to Christian. After he ran off, Amelia and I went inside. We were bored playing whatever it was we called the game we were playing, and we wanted to start a band. Eric was at work, and Shanna was watching all three of us. Amelia and I were so caught up in starting a band, Shanna never even asked where Christian was. She was helping us think of band names, costumes, and whether we should sing country, or pop music._

_We decided our band name would be '"Amazing A and K Band," At six years old, that was a pretty legitimate name. We wore ballerina tutus, and pink t-shirts. We sang both country music, and pop music. After one song, Shanna's face fell. We noticed, and stopped the music._

_"Mommy, what's wrong?" Amelia asked._

_"Where is your brother?" Shanna asked her seriously._

_Amelia's eyes widened, she said nothing._

_"Amelia Grace Lambert! WHERE IS YOUR BROTHER?" She said again, frantic. Amelia still said nothing, so I spoke up._

_"Um he- he was outside. He wanted to play in the tree house but he couldn't because he isn't in the girl's club so I told him to pretend to go fishing and now I don't know where he is." I confessed, tears forming._

_"Oh, my God. He didn't go near the pool did he? Eric hasn't fixed the lock on the fence! It would be so easy for Christian to get in! Oh, God." Shanna said, running out the back sliding glass door, towards the pool area._

_Amelia grabbed my hand when we heard Shanna's scream. "Amelia, call 911, now!" Shanna yelled. Amelia did as she was told, and then the paramedics arrived. The EMTs worked on Christian all the way to the hospital. Amelia and I had to ride in the ambulance with Shanna and Christian. Eric left work and was on his way, and so was my mom._

_Once we were at the hospital, Amelia, Shanna, and I were all in tears. I don't really remember anything after that, not until Eric got there later on. He grabbed Amelia out of the chair she was sitting in, and he took her out of the waiting room. I don't know what he did, or what he said, but when he brought Amelia back she told me he was very mean to her, and that it was all her fault Christian was dead, because she should have been the good big sister and watched him._

_My mom got there shortly after. She cried with Shanna, and told her if there was anything she could do to help, to let her know. Then she took me home, where we both cried even more. I didn't tell her what happened with Eric. I always said I told my mom everything... but I guess that was a lie, because she never knew anything of the Lamberts other than Amelia was my best friend, and her parents were "good people."_

After that, her parents were never the same. They blamed Amelia, but I felt the most guilty. I was the one who told Christian to go pretend fishing. It was my fault he went near the pool. It was my fault he drowned. It was my fault Amelia was abused every single day by her parents. It was all my fault, and not a day went by since then, that I didn't acknowledge that. I couldn't leave Amelia, knowing the blame was on me. I wouldn't do that to her, so I made a vow to myself as I waited for Emily to come back, that I would not tell Emily. I would go with Eric and Shanna. Even if it meant I would be unhappy, even if it mean I may not see Emily again.

I lay there thinking, for quite sometime. Apparently, I'd fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, I was awake. I was screaming, my face was hot, I was shaking, and I felt sick. I covered my own mouth with my hand to shut myself up. I didn't want anyone to see me like this. No one came in my room, so I assumed no one heard me. I looked at the clock, it was almost 10pm. Where on God's green earth was Emily?

I knew she would be back. She looked exhausted before she left, so I figured she was still sleeping. My nurse came in the room a few moments later, to check on me before she clocked out for the night.

"Do you want me to stay until you hear from Emily?" she asked me.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you though." I told her.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." She told me, smiling, and leaving.

I tried running my fingers through my hair, something I did when I was upset. But my fingers kept getting stuck, because my hair was so matted and tangled. I wondered what I looked like, then decided I probably didn't want to know. I wasn't allowed to stand, so I hadn't had a shower in awhile, just sponge baths. _God, what I would do to take a shower. Or, to wear something besides this stupid hospital gown,_ I thought.

Lost in thought, I hardly heard the phone in my room ringing. It had to be Emily.

"Hello?" I answered. Sounding much more weak and feeble than I meant to. She told me she'd slept longer than she meant to. I asked her to come back, sounding like a needy little child. She said she was on her way, and we hung up.

Then it hit me, what was I going to say to her? She was going to ask what happened. I was panicking, and I swear Emily teleported to the hospital and into my room, because the next thing I knew, there she was, by my side. She caught me off guard.

"What happened? Did you have another nightmare?" She asked me. I looked at her.

"Yes," I lied. "That's what happened. I shouldn't have called you though. I'm fine. I promise." I said, trying to act braver than I was, trying to not let on something much bigger was bothering me.

Emily said I looked like I hadn't slept. I lied again and said I wasn't tired at all. When really, I was at the stage of tiredness where my head hurt, my eyes hurt, and I just wanted to cry.

A few moments later, Emily left to go call one of her team members, and get us some food. I didn't remember the last time I ate anything, but instead of being thankful, I snapped at Emily. I'm not sure why, but I tended to snap when I was upset and stressed. Once she left the room, I was alone again. I figured I might as well get used to it, since I wouldn't have Emily there to help me once I left the hospital.

That thought scared me to death. I hadn't really taken time to let that sink in until right now. Emily had been the only person who stayed with me, the only person who knew how to get me through my nightmares, who knew how to make the hospital less of a pain. Once I was discharged, I wouldn't have that sense of security again. And God knows, my fear would only increase once I was in the "care" of Eric and Shanna Lambert.

My heart rate increased to an insane level, I was shaking harder than I ever had, and I started hyperventilating. It felt like the walls were closing in around me. I had to get out of there, I had to leave that room. But, it would be hard with the stupid IV in my arm. I didn't let that stop me. I closed my eyes and yanked the needle out of my arm as hard as I could. I bit my lip so hard that I drew blood to prevent me from screaming out in pain. _Bad idea,_ I thought. My arm started bleeding and bruising instantly. _Damn it! _I grabbed my arm where I was bleeding, trying to make it stop. I slowly got out of bed, as quickly and quietly as I could manage. I had no other clothes, save for the ones I'd been admitted in; my favorite pair of bright blue pajama pants and an over sized dark gray t-shirt. I knew where they were, they were in a bag in the bathroom. They would be cut up, and bloody. But I didn't care. I walked into the bathroom, ignoring the pain in my stomach from walking, still clutching my arm, and got the bag down. I changed, then waited for there to be no one in my hallway. When the coast was clear, I sneaked out of my room. I wandered aimlessly for awhile, unsure of where I was even going to go. Then, I thought of somewhere, that maybe might make me feel a little bit better.


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own Criminal Minds, blah blah blah, etc etc. **

**We're coming to an end on things I have fully completely written, but like I mentioned, things are all planned out to the end, so hopefully if I can't update every day, it will at least be in a timely manner! I don't like being 'left hanging' so I wouldn't want to do that to any one here :)  
**

Emily Prentiss

As I looked around Kaila's room, I saw blood. Not a lot, but not a little either. Then I realized her IV drip was still in the room, and Kaila was not attached. She wasn't getting her fluids, and she wasn't getting any pain medicine. She was also losing blood, as direct pressure needs to be applied after taking out an IV, and it appeared Kaila had taken hers out herself, which would cause more damage. Her hospital gown was also laying on the bed, and the clothes she'd been admitted in were missing. They'd been in a big ziploc-type bag in the bathroom of her room, but when I checked, they were gone.

I ran out of the room, and stopped the first nurse I saw.

"Kaila Fisher in room 204 is missing," I stated. "There's blood. I don't know where she is."

"Missing? Are you sure?" The nurse asked me.

"Yes I am sure! She, or someone, pulled her IV out! Just alert everyone and get her name out, I'm going to look for her!" I told the woman, turning my attention solely on finding Kaila. I went back into her room for a moment to see if maybe there was a blood trail to follow. There wasn't much of one, but minimal blood lead me out of her room and down the hall to the left. This hospital had so many  
floors, it would take me forever to search them all. I tried thinking back to the conversations I'd had with Kaila since she woke up, which surprisingly, was more than you'd think. I closed my eyes, and tried to remember every word said between us, envious for a moment of Reid, who had an eidetic memory. Then I remembered.

_Kaila and I were watching something on TV. It was right before we decided to play Uno, before Maggie came in. Her main nurse, Janet, came in the room. _

_"Just coming to check on you," she said sweetly. "Do you need anything?" She asked Kaila, as she checked her IV drip, and checked the stitches on her stomach, and changed the bandage on Kaila's arm._

_"No, I'm fine." Kaila said as she tried to sit up, but suddenly laid back down. _

_"It hurts to try to sit up," she said sadly. _

_"You'll need to be really, really careful." Janet said. "These stitches are going to take awhile to heal, if you move the wrong way you'll break them." _

_"When can I get up? I'm tired of laying here! I can only get up when you and Emily help me, but even then I can't go far." She complained. _

_"It'll be a couple more days, but even when you're discharged you'll have to take it easy." Janet said, patting Kaila's leg and leaving. _

_"I wanna go on a walk." She told me. _

_"We'll go another time, I promise. But I don't think you're up to it now." I told her. _

_"Fine," she agreed. "But when we do, can we go down to the nursery and see the babies? I think they're so sweet. I always wanted a little brother or sister. I was always jealous of those people who had one." Kaila told me. '"Once, when my mom was out of a job, our neighbors let her babysit their 6-month-old baby for them sometimes while they worked, and they paid her. After school, I'd walk from the bus to their house and help my mom." She was quiet for a few moments. "I miss her, a lot. I don't want to ever forget her. But the only way I can remember her is how I last saw her. Do you think if we go see the babies, I'll remember babysitting with her more, and I won't keep seeing her after she died?" Kaila asked me sweetly. _

_"I definitely think that's worth a try." I told her, smiling. "What do you say we do something fun, huh?" And that was when we started Uno._

I asked someone where the nursery was, it was a floor down. I made my way down as fast as I could. Once I reached the nursery, I saw Kaila. She was sitting in a chair, in front of the big window where you could see all the babies. Her clothes were covered in dried blood, her hair was tangled and matted to her face, she was holding her arm where the needle had been. She just looked pitiful.

I walked over and sat beside her, putting my hand on her shoulder. "Kaila, what are you doing out of bed?" I asked. "There's something you're not telling me, and I don't want to pressure you, but I can tell when something isn't right with someone. So if you need to talk, I'm here to listen." I said softly.

"Emily," was all she said, before she threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly. She began crying. I had no idea what was wrong, but I knew this was more than any nightmare. I tried soothing her as best I could.

"It's okay, sweetie. I'm here now. I won't leave you again. Not for anything. I promise you. Not if it's going to upset you like this." I whispered. She never said a word back to me, she just cried. The nurse I'd alerted walked up and saw us.

"You got her?" She mouthed. I mouthed "Yes, we're fine," back to her, and she walked away, hopefully telling everyone she'd told that Kaila was found and safe.

Once Kaila stopped crying, I said, "Honey, we need to go back to your room. You need to get back on your IV, and you need to rest. Will you come with me?" I said softly. She pulled away from the hug, and nodded her head. She stood up, and so did I. Then, she finally spoke.

"T-thank you," she said, her voice shaking. "Oh, no I think I got blood on your shirt. I'm so sorry." She said, looking at the floor.

"Oh it's alright," I said looking at my shirt, there was a little blood on my sleeve from where Kaila's arm was bleeding, but nothing to worry about. "That's hardly anything, don't even worry. When we get you settled back in your bed and all, we need to talk." I said. Kaila said nothing, turned around, and walked back to her room, with me right on her heels.


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter is super, duper long. I apologize! But I couldn't really find a good place to cut it off, so I just made it one huge chapter. Which is why it took me a few days to update again, as I had been doing one a day, but then I ran out of completed chapters, and, yeah :p haha. But nevertheless, here it is, chapter 7! :) **

**& blah blah blah don't own anything it's not mine yadda yadda yadda :)**

**Thank you to all the lovely reviewers, favoriters, and story alerters :)  
**

Kaila Fisher

I walked to the elevator, on my way back to my room. Emily got in behind me and instinctively put her arms around my shoulders as we rode up a floor. Again I wondered if Emily had any kids, since she was so motherly.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure you can," Emily replied.

"Do you have any kids?"

Emily didn't say anything for a moment. "No, I don't." She said.

"Oh I was just wondering. You would be a good Mom."

"You think so?" She questioned.

"Yeah, I've just noticed today how Mom-like you are." Emily smiled, but didn't respond.

Then there was an awkward silence, as the elevator opened and we stepped out.

It really hurt to walk, and I tried to hide it. But it didn't work. Emily guided me into my room very carefully, and eased me back into my bed.

"Emily, I'm not gonna break! It just hurts a little still."

"I just don't want it to get any worse," she said.

"Well thanks," I said, looking at my arm, which had stopped bleeding. "They're not gonna put the IV in here again are they? Because that'd hurt."

"They'll put it in your hand, probably. Or just go on the other side. I cannot believe you pulled out your IV!" She told me.

Before I could respond, the night time nurse came in the room, along with the doctor, Dr. Coble.

"Well," he said looking at me. "Looks like we got ourselves an attempted runaway, huh?"

"I wasn't trying to run away..." I said dryly. "I just needed out of this room."

"Well, I know this place isn't any fun, but you can't go ripping IVs out. You're lucky you didn't do any more damage. Your arm will be fine, it'll be a little sore and will bruise. It'll need a bandage too. I'll have the nurse take a look at your stitches, be sure you didn't pull any of them out. But other than that, I think you'll be fine. Also, you'll need to put your hospital gown back on." He said.

"Okay." I replied.

"Anything else we should know?" Emily questioned him.

"Well, we'll probably release her on Monday. I want to keep her a couple more days, just because those stitches still need to heal, and even the smallest movement could rip them right out. Her concussion had me worried at first, but her memory seems to be fine. She got really lucky, I'd say." He said, telling the nurse with him what to do, and leaving.

The nurse handed me my hospital gown from before. "You need to put this back on, then I'll check those stitches." She said, helping me off the bed. I walked myself to the bathroom, still ignoring the ever present pain in my stomach from all the moving around I'd done. I carefully changed my clothes, and got back into bed. The nurse checked the stitches, and said that luckily, none of them had been pulled out, but they were really close, so I had to be even more careful about the way I moved. I sighed.

"Can't you just give me some pills and get me out of here?" I asked, not really sure why I said it, since I wasn't looking forward to leaving at all.

The nurse and Emily laughed. "I need to get you started on a new IV, and get a bandage on your arm, then I'll leave you alone for awhile." She said, putting something on my arm, that made it sting. I wasn't expecting it, so I pulled back and flinched.

"Sorry, I should have warned you! I need to clean it." The nurse said.

I said nothing while she finished cleaning and bandaging my arm. Then came the part I was worried about, the new IV needle. I'd been out cold the first time it'd been placed, and now I was terrified. I hate needles. I always have. Even at fifteen, I couldn't even get a flu shot, a simple procedure, without my mother coming back with me, and now I was about to get an IV, all alone.

"You okay?" Emily asked me, apparently noticing the look on my face.

"Uh yeah I'm fine." I lied.

"Alright, Kaila. You're all bandaged. Now, I'm gonna have to insert this IV into your hand, because your other arm is injured, and I can't get the needle in, and we all know what just happened with this arm, so now it will go in your hand. It won't hurt any more or any less, but it might feel a little funny after. Okay?" She asked me.

"Can it wait?" I asked. "I don't feel good."

"We need to get you back on those fluids, and back on some pain killers." She replied.

I gripped the side of the bed with my hand on the opposite side of which would be getting the needle. "Wait a minute," Emily said. "I know what this is. Kaila, are you afraid of needles?" I don't know how Emily knew. I guess profiling and mind reading are the same thing. I nodded in response to her question.

"Terrified." I confirmed. "M-my Mom always came back with me. I g-guess it's worse now since I'm all alone." My voice quavering and shaking. _Pull yourself together, Kaila. It's just a stupid needle. You've been through worse. _I told myself. It didn't help.

Emily pried my hand of the death grip I had on the side of my bed, and held my hand. "Look at me," she said. I did. "I'm the same way," she told me. "Stuff like this gives me the creeps! I mean, with my job, people expect me to be fearless, but anyone who's ever seen me in a doctor's office would tell you differently!" She said. "It's a common fear, actually. So don't even worry. I know I'm not your Mom, but I'm right here with you, okay?" I nodded, holding my breath.

"All done!" The nurse said. I let my breath out, confused. "When did you-" I stopped mid-sentence, realizing it had been done while Emily was talking to me. I turned to her. "Thank you." I said, amazed. Not even my _own _mother could keep me that calm around a needle. I didn't understand it, but I was grateful to Emily.

"No problem," she smiled. The nurse left, leaving Emily and I alone.

Breaking the silence, she said "We need to talk about what happened." I shrugged.

"I just got tired of being in here." I replied.

"I know it's more than that." She said seriously.

I looked down at my hands, "it's really nothing Emily. Its just a lot to deal with."

"I know it is. I wish I knew how to help more. But hey, you get to leave on Monday!" She said, trying to lighten the mood. Although that realization just made it all worse. I faked a smile.

"Yeah, I guess I do." I said.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Emily said, turning around and going to the chair where she'd dropped her bags after learning about my disappearance. "The food! It's probably not good now... I don't know. I can go get something else."

"Emily," I managed a laugh. "It's okay, it's late. We can wait til breakfast." I said, noticing the lateness of the day.

"This is probably cold and gross by now anyways." Emily said, tossing it in the trash.

"I'm sorry." I told her.

"No, it's not your fault! I shouldn't have left after just coming back."

"It's okay, I don't expect you to sit here with me all day every day." I smiled at her.

She returned the smile, but got serious again, pulling up a chair and sitting beside my bed. "I hate to bring this up to you now, but it's something we're gonna have to talk about eventually."

"What?" I asked, completely clueless about what was going on.

"It's been a few days since everything happened, but there's got to be some kind of funeral arrangements made... you know..." she said. I honestly hadn't even thought about a funeral. Not til now.

"Um I- I don't think I can go." I said, what was I talking about? She's my mother. I have to go to her funeral. What kind of daughter was I?

"That's what we need to discuss. Since you are her only living family, and a minor, you can't really plan a funeral, so the church you and your mom attend are taking care of everything. The pastor's been in touch with Maggie, and he says he wanted to wait for your release before the services take place. But it's completely up to you, if you want to go or not. No one is going to force you." She told me. I said nothing for what felt like hours, just staring off into space.

"Will you come with me?" I asked, so quietly I hardly even heard myself.

"If you want me there, I'll be there." She promised. Wait. What was I thinking? She had a job, and a life to get back to. She couldn't wait around and deal with me. She wasn't my mother, she wasn't even going to be my foster mother. She was an FBI Agent.

"Wait. I'm sorry. That's rude of me. You have a job. You're in the FBI. Don't you have to go back to work? I mean, don't you have all kinds of crazy rules to follow? I'm not getting you in trouble, am I?"

"It's alright, I've taken some time off. Don't worry, I can attend her funeral with you, if you really want me to." She assured me.

"What day?"

"The pastor said he was shooting for Tuesday, if you were out by then."

"Oh." I replied. "I still have to go with Eric and Shanna right?" I asked.

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise." Emily said. "I'm still trying though."

I didn't say anything, partly because I didn't know what to say, and partly because I didn't want my response to sound too sad.

"Well," Emily said. "It's been quite the eventful evening, huh?"

"Yeah,"

"You must be tired."

"I'm not really a big fan of sleep." I said.

"I know, but I'll be right here, okay? Remember what I said? I'm not leaving again."

"You can't stay here til Monday, that's like two whole days."

"I packed a bag of clothes so I wouldn't have to go back to my hotel. There's a shower in your bathroom, and this chair is actually much more comfortable than you'd believe."

"Now that, I doubt. But you don't have to do this."

"I know that," Emily replied. "I just want to."

"If you're sure." I said, realizing just how tired I actually was.

Emily and I talked for a few more minutes, though I can't tell you about what. I was so tired, I fell asleep halfway through a sentence.

The remainder of the weekend wasn't as eventful as Friday evening. Emily stayed with me, despite the look Maggie gave her Saturday morning when she came to check on me, and to tell me that Monday morning I'd walk out of here with the Lamberts. They'd all three come with her, just like Maggie told Emily they would. They were planning to stay all day, but I managed to talk them out of it.

Surprisingly, the nightmares managed to slow down. They hadn't stopped, but I didn't have one every time I fell asleep. It was nice, the feeling of maybe coping with what all happened. Emily helped make my stay at the hospital a little more fun, always making jokes and finding ways to make it all funny. I really was happy she'd decided to stay, but I knew it'd make it harder for me to leave Monday. I'd see her Tuesday at the funeral... but after that? Who knew. I may never see her again. I kept praying something would happen an maybe the Lamberts would decide not to take me, or that Emily would finally win an argument with Maggie. But it never happened. Monday morning rolled around all too quickly...

"Kaila, honey, it's time to get up." I heard Emily say, as she gently shook me awake.

"Five more minutes," I mumbled. I hate mornings... especially this morning.

"You said that fifteen minutes ago! Come on, up, up, up!" I glanced at the clock.

"Emily, I'm being released this _afternoon. _Why am I awake now?" I asked. It was almost 9am. I was actually sleeping more, and having nightmares less. Whatever reason Emily had woken me up for had better have been a good one!

"Maggie called me, she said something about how you don't have anything packed, and that you should go back to your house to get whatever you may want to take with you because-" she stopped.

"Because what?"

"I'm sorry. This is too much to spring on you so early in the morning. But everything is getting cleared out since no one no longer resides there... so Maggie said for you to get anything and everything you want to take with you."

"Someone else is going to live in _my_ house? They're just going to clean up and make out like_ nothing_ happened at that house? Are you kidding me?" I asked, my voice rising.

"Shh, I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

"You had to tell me eventually. Are you taking me to get my stuff?"

"If you want. Maggie sad she would come get you, and she also said Eric and Shanna offered." My choice was obvious. "Can you take me? But I want to go in alone."

"Are you sure you're up for that?" Emily asked me.

"Yes. I'm sure." I wasn't sure how I would handle being back at my house, which was exactly why Emily could not come with me.

"Alright, whenever you're ready we'll go, okay? You are finally able to get up and take a shower! So I assume you'll want to do that before we go?"

"Yes!" I said, nearly jumping out of bed.

"Wait, wait a minute," Emily said, sitting me back down. "First, you will eat!" She handed me a plate of food from one of the local diners near the hospital."I didn't know what you liked, so I kinda got a little of everything." Se said smiling.

"When do you sleep?" I asked, only half joking, as I started eating, realizing just how hungry I was.

"I'm used to running on minimal sleep." she shrugged.

We continued on with random conversation, then when I was done eating what I could of the massive plate of food I'd been given, I decided to go take a shower.

"I also went out and got you some clothes this morning. I know they're not much but they're just to wear out of here until we go get your clothes." She said, handing me a pair of light gray sweatpants, and a blue t-shirt.

"Thank you," I said, practically sprinting towards the bathroom. I'd never been so excited to take a shower in all my life.

Once I was ready, Emily had the idea to go ahead and have me discharged.

"But they're coming to get me here this afternoon." I reminded her, unwillingly.

"Well there's no sense in you waiting around here all day, when you're good to go. I'll call Eric and see if he will allow me to take you to their house this afternoon instead of them coming to get you." She said, pulling her phone from her pocket. "What's his number?"

I told her Amelia's home number, which I knew by heart. I couldn't hear Eric's half of the conversation, but based on Emily's responses, he seemed to agree to Emily dropping me off. When she hung up, she said, "He said that was okay." I smiled.

Emily proceeded to get me discharged, and then finally, I walked outside for the first time in almost a week. Luckily the weather was perfect. It wasn't hot, but it wasn't cold either.

"It's so pretty out!" I said, walking ahead of Emily, even though I had no idea where her car was.

"It really is, you have nice weather here." she replied.

We got to her car, which technically wasn't hers. It belonged to the Bureau. It was a huge black Suburban. I got in the front as Emily got in the driver's seat and started the SUV. I gave her directions to my house, and she pulled into the driveway. I stared at it a long time before moving.

"Are you sure you want to go in alone?" Emily asked, startling me a little, causing me to jump. I had to take a deep breath before I could answer.

"Yes. I'm sure." I said, undoing my seat belt, opening the door, and getting out. I walked up to my house, found the spare key, opened the door, and walked inside. It felt so different. Not like my house at all. I walked around every single room, absolutely nothing had been changed or moved. My mother's body had been taken already, but the door to her room was closed. I decided I would wait to go in there until last.

The covers were still turned down and messy from where I jumped up after hearing my mom scream. My iPod was still sitting on my pillow, my magazine was still on the ground from where I threw it.

I got my suit case out of my closet, and began packing. I packed almost my entire room, it took me one large suitcase, one smaller suitcase, an over night bag, and a tote bag to fit it all. All my clothes, my movies, my scrapbooks, everything. The only thing I didn't get except for the furniture, was my computer. It was a really big, really old desktop that ran slower than Christmas. But it had memories... it had so many pictures I wish I could get, some videos of my mom and I.

I sat down in the chair, and turned the computer on. I went through everything, all the pictures, the videos. I don't know how long I sat there just staring at each picture, burning it into my mind; how many times I re-watched each video, especially the ones of me and my mom, as if I could burn them into my brain, so I could press play and watch them at any time. I missed my mom, so incredibly much. I'd known all along she was dead. She'd never come back, but now it was really, truly setting in. I was alone, and I would be for quite some time.


End file.
